Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Justice made his major league debut in May 1989, playing for the last-place Atlanta Braves. The young right fielder earned the starting job after Braves fan favorite Dale Murphy was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Justice promptly went on an offensive tear during the second half of the 1990 season, finishing with 28 home runs, which helped him claim the National League's Rookie of the Year Award. In 1991, the upstart Braves surged to the top of their division and Justice was leading the National League in runs batted in when he was sidelined by a nagging back injury in June. He finished with 87 runs batted in despite the injury and played in his first World Series.

When baseball returned in 1995, Justice helped his Braves to the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. He drew attention (and boos) when he criticized Atlanta fans for the level of support they were providing the team.[1] Justice ended up a hero, however, when his crucial home run in Game 6 provided the only run in a 1–0 game that clinched the championship.

In May 1996, a swing and miss in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates caused a season-ending shoulder separation. It would prove to be Justice's last at bat as a Brave, as he was traded during the final week of Spring Training the following year. On ESPN, Justice stated,

"I love the Braves, so when [Braves president] John Schuerholz looked me in my face and told me 'I'd bet my house and my family that you won't be traded' that's good enough confidence for me coming from a General Manager, and then out of nowhere, one week later I'm gone."

New York Yankees

On June 28, 2000, Yankees GM Brian Cashman finalized a trade with Indians GM John Hart, sending Jake Westbrook, Zach Day and Ricky Ledée to Cleveland for Justice. The Yankees, who were unable to lure Sammy Sosa or Juan Gonzalez from their respective teams, looked to Justice as a legitimate longball threat. In return, Justice caught fire down the stretch and won the 2000 AL Championship Series MVP Award en route to his second world championship.

Oakland Athletics

As a result of persistent groin injury, Justice saw his production slide considerably in 2001, and he was traded to the New York Mets on December 7, 2001 for 3B Robin Ventura.[2] Mets GM Steve Phillips then sent him to the Oakland Athletics on December 14 for LHP Mark Guthrie and RHP Tyler Yates. He played a final season on an Oakland team which reached the playoffs in 2002 and was named the American League Player of the Week for the first week of the season. His addition to Oakland was referred to as an 'experiment' by A's assistant GM Paul DePodesta.[3] The experiment was to evaluate whether hitters retained their ability to get on base as they got older (kept their batter's eye). His .376 OBP and BB/K ratio of greater than 1:1 seemed to prove that correct.

Career totals

Justice finished his career as a .279 hitter, with a .378 OBP and .500 slugging percentage, 305 home runs, 903 walks and 1017 RBI in 1610 games. From 1991 to his last season in 2002, Justice's teams made the postseason every year (with the exception of the strike-shortened 1994 season). Of those times, he made the World Series six times, winning twice. He is in the top ten in a number of career postseason categories, such as at-bats, games played, hits, and home runs.[4]

Honors

On May 9, 1994, David Justice was listed in People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" issue (Vol. 41 No. 17). The article goes on to state: "'I check my face to make sure there's nothing sticking on it,' he says. 'But I don't make sure every hair's in place.' He needn't worry. He gets the most fan mail on the team and is mobbed when he makes personal appearances on behalf of charities."[5][6]

In March 2007, it was announced that David Justice would be inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. He was the first member of any of the Braves' fourteen consecutive division title teams (1991–2005, excluding the strike-shortened season in 1994) to be inducted in the Braves Hall of Fame. The induction took place on August 17, 2007. Numerous ex-Braves players and coaches were in attendance and tribute videos from Braves legend Hank Aaron and former owner Ted Turner were shown. Prior to that evening's game Justice was presented with a portrait by sports artist Bart Forbes during an on-field ceremony.

Justice was eligible for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008, however he received only one vote, preventing him from being named on future ballots. The timing of the vote may have adversely affected his candidacy, as it was held shortly after the release of the Mitchell Report.

Mitchell Report

In an interview for the Mitchell Report, released December 13, 2007, Justice denied using performance-enhancing substances, but was willing to report the names of individuals he suspected, though he claimed to have no direct knowledge of any other player's steroid use. He also claims to have never been warned of the side effects of steroids or explicitly told steroids were a banned substance.

The Mitchell Report states that in a later interview, former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski claimed to have sold Justice human growth hormone when Justice was with the Yankees after the 2000 World Series. Justice has called the allegation "a bald-faced lie" and says that he has never met Radomski.[7]

Justice has claimed that his only involvement with performance-enhancing drugs was a discussion about HGH in 2000 with Brian McNamee, then the New York Yankees' strength coach. Justice, who had shoulder problems, thought that HGH might aid in his recovery. Justice stated that after the discussion, he went to his locker and found a bag containing HGH and several injection needles; Justice claimed that he was unwilling to inject himself and never used any of it. Justice further stated in the interviews that all claims in the Mitchell Report concerning his alleged purchase and use of any performance drugs were false and encouraged all players whose names appear in the report, especially Roger Clemens, to publicly deny any claims made by the Mitchell Report if they are untrue.

Broadcasting career

After his playing career, Justice served as a commentator for ESPN baseball telecasts for two years. He later joined the YES Network of the New York Yankees as a game and studio analyst, and also hosted the network's youth-oriented program Yankees on Deck. Prior to the 2008 season, the YES Network announced that Justice would not appear on air during that season, but would contribute articles to the network's website. Justice stated that this change was not in response to his inclusion in the Mitchell report, but was due to the destruction of his California home by a wildfire and the recent passing of his mother.

References

See also

He married Rebecca Villalobos on 8 February 2001.[10] Villalobos is CEO of Exotic Spices Calendars.[12] They have two children together: son Dionisio (born June 7, 2002) and daughter Raquel (born 2004).

His first son David, Jr. (b. 27 December 1999) is with ex-fiancee Nicole Foster.

[11] against Justice.restraining order The marriage ended acrimoniously, with Berry seeking a [10] and divorced on June 24, 1997.[10]

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